1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of pressurized pulse dampener devices of the type conventionally interposed in hydraulic systems to minimize the transmission of pulses downstream of the dampener.
2. The Prior Art
It is conventional to employ in a hydraulic system or the like a pulsation dampener device, the function of which is to reduce the deleterious effects of pulses within the system. By way of example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,782,418, 3,857,413 and 4,069,844 constitute patents directed to pulse dampener devices of the type generally referred to hereinabove.
Such devices typically include a pressure vessel divided into two chambers by a movable boundary, such as a bladder. One chamber is charged with a gas under pressure. The other chamber is in communication with the hydraulic system. When pulses in the hydraulic fluid occur, which pulses may be the result of the use of reciprocating piston pumps, etc., energy is stored by compression of the gas within the gas chamber and released to the hydraulic system when the pressure falls in the hydraulic system, whereby the amplitude of such pulses transmitted to the remainder of the system is greatly reduced. In the absence of such dampening devices, the shocks created by the pulses may be severe enough to damage or rupture other elements of the hydraulic system, the problem being compounded by harmonic effects which may magnify the effect of the pulses generated.
Since harmonic effects, frequency, and amplitude of pulses generated in each environment vary from installation to installation, it will be appreciated that no single dampening device can effect optimal dampening in all cases. To adapt to varying conditions it has heretofore been necessary to provide a relatively wide range of dampener assemblies having differing dampening characteristics, and, in many instances, to experimentally employ a number of such devices on a trial and error basis in a particular installation to ascertain which unit is most effective in view of the parameters encountered.